A GROUP of young singers from Hampshire have beaten off competition from hundreds of other choirs to reach the final of a national competition.

The award-winning New Forest Children’s Choir are aiming to be in good voice on Tuesday when they take part in the Barnardo’s National Youth Choral Competition at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

More than 20 singers aged between four and 12 are busy preparing for the big event.

Alison Russell-Hayward, the choir’s conductor and musical director, said they were “delighted” to be representing Hampshire and supporting an important charity at the same time.

She added: “The children are very excited – the penny has suddenly dropped as to what it is we’re just about to do.”

The youngsters, who all go to schools in Hampshire and Dorset, will be up against 17 other choirs in the final in the Under-13s category.

After securing their place in the prestigious event they were told by the judges: “The competition was really high. You must feel extremely proud of your choir for being chosen.”

The choir, which rehearses at Christchurch and Barton on Sea, was formed in 2008.

Within months it was awarded the Hinton Pitt Singing Trophy at Christchurch and District Arts Council’s Performing Arts Festival, winning the singing section outright.

Weeks later it also won its class at the Bournemouth Music Competitions Festival.

In 2010 it was crowned BBC Children’s Choir of the Year at the Royal Festival Hall and a year later came second in the junior children’s choir section at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod.

In 2012 it was named joint Choir of the Day at a competition in Basingstoke.

The group’s TV credits include CBBC’s The Big Performance, plus appearances on ITV’s This Morning and BBC’s Children In Need.

Alison, of Barton, trained with the Royal Ballet and was later principal of the Royal Ballet School.

She said: “I hope the choir’s success is down to the fact that although I have very exacting standards I try to make it fun and the children really enjoy themselves.

“One of the best comments we’ve ever received is that the choir sounds as if it’s one voice, which is what we’re aiming for.”

Their patron is John Rutter, one of only two composers commissioned to write new works for the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011.